By Lebone Rodah Mosima
Eight unresolved court cases could affect the finalisation of ballot papers in parts of South Africa less than five weeks before the 4 November local government elections.
The cases include five before the Electoral Court, two before the Constitutional Court and one in the Gauteng High Court, while the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) is pressing ahead with printing 78 million ballot papers.
The legal challenges were among a series of risks considered by the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Local Government Elections, which said preparations remained on track despite litigation, a developing El Niño and possible weather and security-related disruptions.
“All the eight unresolved matters have implications for the finalization of the ballot paper in the affected areas,” the IMC said.
Despite the outstanding cases, the IEC was proceeding with the printing of the 78 million ballot papers required for the elections.
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa convened the latest fortnightly meeting of the IMC on Friday to assess preparations for the elections.
“With just four weeks remaining before the local government elections, the IMC emphasised the need for all government departments, stakeholders, role-players and communities to intensify collaboration and collective efforts to deliver on the democratic promise of free and fair elections,” the committee said.
“The fortnightly meeting reaffirmed the IMC’s responsibility to lead and coordinate election preparations and support the delivery of elections as scheduled.”
The IMC said considerable progress had been made by government departments and other sectors, but warned that the remaining period would be critical to resolving outstanding matters and ensuring relevant structures were ready for election day.
El Niño raises election-day risks
The IMC also received a report on the potential effect of developing El Niño conditions on election operations.
It said the conditions could affect voters queuing at polling stations as well as broader logistical and operational arrangements.
The South African Weather Service (SAWS) reported that the elections would take place during the early part of the country’s summer rainfall season against the backdrop of a developing El Niño event.
The weather pattern is associated with an increased likelihood of below-normal rainfall and above-normal temperatures across significant parts of southern Africa.
SAWS identified potential risks including below-normal seasonal rainfall, above-normal temperatures and heatwaves, pressure on water resources and municipal water systems, impacts on agricultural production and food security, health risks linked to heat and water scarcity, veld fires and increased pressure on disaster-management and emergency-response systems.
The IMC cautioned, however, that El Niño does not mean rainfall will disappear.
South Africa was already experiencing spring rainfall in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, North West and Limpopo, while localised heavy rainfall and severe weather events could still occur during an otherwise drier seasonal pattern.
“The occurrence of rainfall during an El Niño season should not be interpreted as contradicting the seasonal outlook,” the IMC said.
“El Niño does not eliminate rainfall; rather, it changes the probability and distribution of rainfall over the season.”
The National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) told the committee it would use SAWS seasonal and shorter-range forecasts to guide disaster-risk measures for voting operations.
The NDMC said it was working with the IEC, government departments, municipalities, disaster-management and emergency services, the agricultural, security, health and water sectors, civil society and communities to prepare for possible disruptions.
It said SAWS early warnings would be translated into coordinated action at national, provincial, municipal and community level before, during and after the election period.
More detailed forecasts are expected to become available as election day approaches.
IEC continues preparations
The IEC has certified 136,790 candidates to contest 10,526 council seats in the elections.
Of these, 136,169 are candidates representing political parties and 621 are independent candidates. Women account for 38% of certified candidates and men 62%, according to the IEC.
The commission said publication of the final candidate list allowed it to proceed with ballot-paper production.
Applications for special votes opened on 21 September and close at 17:00 on 12 October.
Successful applicants will be able to cast special votes on 2 and 3 November before the general election on 4 November.
The IEC told the IMC that all systems and technology to be used during the elections were undergoing testing.
About 68,000 Voter Management Devices are expected to be deployed at polling stations across the country.
All election materials other than ballot papers were already on hand, while local storage facilities had been prepared and screened by security structures.
The IMC said 72 organisations had applied to become election observers and the IEC had started briefing those that had been approved.
Security structures say preparations are in place
The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJoints) also presented an updated security-readiness report to the committee.
NatJoints said the necessary security measures and operational preparations were in place to support safe and orderly special voting and election-day operations.
The committee said preparations were taking place against the backdrop of gender-based violence and femicide and mass shootings in parts of the country.
The IMC said the incidents were deeply concerning and that authorities remained committed to bringing perpetrators to justice and protecting communities.
It said the violence would not derail preparations for the elections.
“The challenges confronting the country will not detract from the ongoing preparations to ensure that the elections proceed in a peaceful, orderly and credible manner,” the IMC said.
Home Affairs prepares for election day
The Department of Home Affairs told the committee it would align its operating hours with those of the IEC to assist voters who need identity documents.
It is also continuing to deploy mobile offices to communities ahead of the elections and has urged people who have already applied for identity documents to collect them.
“The DHA is making a call to all South Africans to visit the offices where they applied to go collect their identity documents,” the department said in the IMC report.
“The mobile trucks are also used to distribute uncollected IDs as the stats remain stubbornly high ahead of the elections.”
Hlabisa called for calm, tolerance and constructive engagement among political parties, electoral stakeholders and communities ahead of the elections.
“Minister Hlabisa emphasised that the success of the elections rests on a collective effort involving government, electoral stakeholders, communities and citizens, hence the call for all potential voters to go out in numbers to cast their ballots on 4 November 2026,” the IMC statement said.
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